lyric

formLEER-ikfrom Greek

The words of a song, or a style of singing characterised by a light, sweet quality.‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍

In Depth

As a noun, lyrics are the words of a song.‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‍‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‌‌‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‍‌‍‍‍ As an adjective, lyric describes a light, sweet, singing quality — a lyric soprano has a lighter voice than a dramatic soprano, and a lyric passage in instrumental music has a singing, song-like character. Songwriting lyrics are a distinct art form, combining poetry with the constraints of melody and rhythm. Great lyricists like Cole Porter, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen created texts that work both as songs and as standalone poetry. In opera, the lyric quality of the Italian language — its open vowels and flowing consonants — is one reason Italian became the dominant language of singing.

Did you know?

Bob Dylan winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 for his song lyrics was controversial — but it acknowledged what musicians had long known: the best lyrics are literature.

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